>> this week on the journal editorial report. mitt romney's big night. the g.o.p.'s nominee makes his case to the american people and gives us a glimpse of the campaign to come. plus, from paul ryan to marco rubio, to condoleezza rice, the other big moments from the rnc. and as president obama gets set to make his case for four more years, our panel previews next week's democratic convention in charlotte. ♪ president obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans.

and to heal the planet. my promise is to help you and your family. (cheer (cheers) >> welcome to the journal editorial report. i'm paul gigot. republican presidential nominee mitt romney bringing down the house with that line in tampa thursday night. there's no question it was the most important speech of his career, how did he do and what did it tell about the campaign to come. let's welcome the wall street journal columnist, dan henninger, dorothy rabinowitz, kim strassel. dan one of the main goals of the convention to improve the image of mitt romney with independent voters, undecided voters. did they accomplish that? >> they most personal

accomplished that, they have proven, i think, with all of the testimonials from people that mitt romney is a good person, a great guy, and even a caring businessman. now, this is a political event. so, why did they spend so much time doing that? they did that because the obama campaign and democratic surrogates had spent the previous four months. >> paul: and 100 million dollars. >> 100 million dollars worth of tv commercials saying precisely the opposite. the romney campaign has brought themselves back to even in the image wars with president obama. with only skimmed in his speech were the policy wars ei want to get to that, but let's talk about that speech. >> as a result the campaign is going to pitch forward and going to be decided in the debates and the hundreds of millions of tv ads. >> paul: what about the speech itself, dorothy, did it-- it obviously was 50% auto biographical by the candidates himself and the testimony from

other people, moving and revealing and very informative. did he spend too much time on biography? >> i think he did, but he does that anyway, and i just want to say that, i think he should leave the gender gap alone for a couple of months. after election day, he can take it up. the real issue, we saw the speech in pieces, some of it was very good. some was very moving when he moved out of the biology. he had one other line he could have used the line where he said many' going to begin my president with a tour. and you like the tour line. president obama began with an apology tour. >> and what about the understated quality of the speech. weren't any great rhetorical lines and no greek columns, it was good, but under wheming and i suspect that might have been by design. we saw in the opening clip, romney with the rhetorical

grand 0sty with plain spokenness, obama says he's going to heal the planet, i just want to help you and your families. i think that's what he's going for and he succeeded. >> kim, i want to get to a point here and the gender gap to appeal to the women's votes and let's show that. >> as governor of massachusetts i chose a woman lt. governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women. and in business, i measured and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies. >> kim, is that the way to win over more women? >> i think it is. the romney campaign does not want to spendets days getting pulled into these obama diversionary arguments about women's pay and contraception. and at the same time, they can't simply not respond to this because those attacks have hurt him among women. so, the strategy which you saw this week was to instead just show how silly these attacks are, to highlight, that this

is a guy who has surrounded himself with talented women and also show his personal side. his five children, his wife and to give the sense that he knows some of the ordinary, average concerns of working moms and others. >> okay. >> i agree with what kim is saying, to some extent. but the right can't criticize the left on politics and then practice it in the way that we saw romney doing there. the best way for romney to respond to whether there's a war on women is to put strong women up there, like he did on stage, testifying to what romney thinks about the world and his policies and how he's going to help the entire country and women. and we saw candy rice and sue sanna martinez, not just because they were women, but women who agree with mitt romney's policies. >> paul: dan to get back to your original point with the policy. here is my problem with the speech. i didn't hear how he would improve the economy. there was so much biography and discussion of other things

that he didn't really focus on policy issues except at the end, almost as an afterthought and we listed the five priorities. he didn't defend his tax plan or tax reform or make a class against class warfare. next week in charlotte you're going to see the democrats run through that hole and they did not innoculate him selves on that. >> yeah, paul, not only that, but next week in charlotte, president obama is going to give his acceptance speech and reiterate his policy proposals, he plans to spend money to pay for people's education and he's going to pay for health care when you need it. we may not agree with it, but these are specific policies directed at an anxious electorate and it has to be encounted with something from the romneys. >> this is something that i think that swing voters want to hear and they certainly know now, mitt romney is a hell of a guy, what they want to know now is how is she going to improve their lives. >> and they, they get hints of him, when they see the choice he makes in the speech.

do we really have to know how it feels to see all of your children in your bedroom with the wife and how you would like to relive all that. that kind of choice of spending personal exposure time instead of how are we going to get those how many millions of jobs have you promised? that's the question. >> paul: i think a lot-- i think a lot of the speech was aimed at independent voters and swing states assure them it's okay to have buyers remorse about voting for obama four years ago, that doesn't make you a bad person. >> paul: that's a good strategy, but the missing agenda, i think, is a risk. still ahead, is mitt romney's to make the case for his presidency and paul ryan to make a case against a second obama term. did he get the job done. the man assumed office almost four years ago, isn't it time he assumed responsibility? [ female announcer ] you want family dinner to be special.

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>> the republicans vice-president nominee paul ryan had a speech and used it to deliver a withering attack on the obama presidency. >> i've never seen opponents so silent about their record and so desperate to keep their power. they've run out of ideas.

their moment came and went, it began with a financial crisis. it ends with a job crisis. it began with a housing crisis they alone didn't cause, it ends with a housing crisis they didn't correct. it all started off with stirring speeches, greek columns, the thrill of something new. now, all that's left is a presidency adrift. >> paul: so, kim, paul ryan's big introduction to the american public, how did he do. >> well, conventions always devote one evening to going after the opponent an and usually the vice-presidential candidate does that. what the g.o.p. has in paul ryan he has a certain optimistic delivery that made him come across devastating rather than mean. just to get back to the last discussion, his other big job for the evening was to layout some of the policy issues and distinctions between the two campaigns and would have been

nicer to have had that for mr. romney as well and he also did that effectively. >> well, kim, i heard that on medicare, that was a real attack on the obama care and medicare, but i didn't hear any defense by ryan from the tax plan, for example, no case for tax reform, he didn't make a pro growth case, economic case, as much as i know he believes in person. >> yeah, and that's the real issue that they're going to have to address this fall. so far it's been a lot of doom and gloom saying we're on the wrong path and we've got to fix things and start pivoting and talking about the real way out of this hole is getting an economy that grows again and brings in the tax revenue to help with the spending issues. >> jason, what else struck you about the weak? >> first of all, ryan gave the speech at a convention, in my view hit it out of the park, anyone who didn't know he was a serious person, knows nowment i don't think he's going to fade in the spotlight like sarah palin did four years ago. i think that chris christie

also gave, the new jersey governor gave a very powerful speech. >> and not everybody agrees with you on that one. in fact, most people disagree, they think he blew it. >> i think his point on obama's leadership, the unwillingness to say no is a liability in a leader, and obama is unwilling to treat voters like adults and i think he drove that point home and i think it's a very effective attack on obama, more effective than saying obama is in over his head. >> dorothy, who else impressed you the most among the nonromney actors here? >> among the non-romney actors, marco rubio, actually because i got to see he did in one minute in terms of personal revelation which romney could not do. >> paul: 20 minutes. >> exactly that. yes, they says' not presidential for a few minutes, but you can see the ease and the naturalness with any he discusses his identity and the magic of being in america and the parents, i

won't quote it, but anybody who is not transported by the combination of things he talked to, and that toughness of his which never becomes i am possibly rude, but is unasailable as a weapon. >> paul: as one of the things this week, seemed to be the rehabilitation of the republican party. or maybe rebranding is the better way to put it, with younger people on stage, with a more diverse group of people and with governors who projected basically said, here is our record. we're creating jobs, we're making the change, we're doing things. and so, this -- these democratic attacks that basically say look, you're just an attack party. that's not true, look at our record. >> yeah, i think the big winner out of this convention was the republican party. and they did a very good job of presenting themselves and it was in fact a reaction to the negative propaganda that the democrats, they had to answer it. it turns out they really have

a great group of younger politicians, they're reform mind the, governor martinez of new mexico, a wonderful story, and so, i think that-- >> she was a revelation. >> all of the parties try to hit and appeal to the middle class m america, and they show they're no longer the parties of bankers and country club types, they looked like real americans. >> paul: was that part of their strategy. >> and they can be biographical and they wanted to highlight the deep bench that the g.o.p. has here, talk with about the reform policies going on out in the states and present a party itself that's ready to get down to business and institute new ideas. and that was certainly what they were aiming for. >> wasn't there a strategy goal, too, here. in ohio, seen falling unemployment. they need to point. obama is going to try to take

credit for that and romney needs to point out this is a republican governor whose policies are helping a great deal. that's right. they're drawing a clear distinction between those things they believe their republican governors have done, the budget reforms they've done and education reforms they've done and helping the economy and making the argument to the extent that the states aren't doing better that it's obama's fault. >> briefly, dorothy, clint eastwood. >> clint eastwood, i thought he hit it out of the ballpark and you put him up there and let me say something else, renegade, arthur davis. >> he was magnificent and when you get a minor bit player enhancing the performances there. >> and clinton township eastwood, kind of an independent minded voter and making up his mind they need to fire the president. and when we come back, now it's the democrat's parties. what president obama and his party has planned for

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>> with tampa behind us all eyes turn to charlotte, north carolina where president obama and fellow democrats make the case next week for four more years. jason, what do you expect to hear next week out of the democrats? >> with he will -- well, first of all, you're going to hear the phrase romney-ryan so often you'll think it's one word. and president obama wanted to run against congress with congressman on the ticket and is certain to do that, but essentially obama's strategy has been i inherited a mess, but for my stimulus and other policies we'd be in a bigger hole, and why give the ball back to the team that put us in this mess in the first place and i think you'll hear

variations throughout the week. >> paul: what about, dorothy, collapsed expectation, unfulfilled promises, the grand 0sty of four years ago and now we're stuck with this mess? how do we respond to that. >> use the same strategy he's been using now. it's not there. we have accomplished this, we've had-- >> we've made this amount of progress. >> yes, we did build this sn essentially and ignore that we've been opposed by every level by the republicans, they have been in the way and that kind of defiance in my view, defines reality and which will be their answer, and they will say, we have done this. >> kim, one of the big targets for the democrats do you think? jason mentioned the ryan budget, that's had a target. what about the tax plan of romney? >> yeah, you're going to see three things, a class warfare argument that the tax policy is in, the obama argument

which we've seen that romney is just a corporate raider, he wants to strip money from the middle class and give it to rich friends and a "mediscare" attack on the ryan reforms for medicare and social security and a big attack on the republicans vis-a-vis women and again, these arguments that they are almost like todd akin in missouri. >> they will have so many women on stage, i'm surprised you haven't been invited to appear and make this such a central theme. what about the image of the democratic party and the image of the republicans. >> the republicans convey a positive image of themselves. i don't think you're going to see that next week, this is why. the obama democrats essentially were the party of democratic left and they captured the party from the clinton centrists, and it was to complain about american society. see it as a place of victims

and people shafted by the system. >> paul: is that a winner? >> you're going to hear more carping and complaining about the unfairness of america next week because that's in their dna, the way they see the system. >> paul: all because of business and romney's friends. >> but it does not present a positive image to the american people. and about obama care, particularly those parts of the health care plan that have taken effect. children able to stay on parent's insurance up to a certain age. >> paul: so they'll push that, that two or three positive parts of obama care that poll well, even though the republicans really did a pretty good job this week of taking apart obama care. do you think they'll talk about it? >> i think they will. >> of course, that's a huge vulnerability into romney going into the debates. i don't think they'll shy away from talking about obama care. >> one thing we haven't mentioned here, second term agenda, what's the case that obama is going to make, kim,

dorothy, for a second term agenda. first you, kim. >> well, he's going to revive some of the retread arguments he put out last year, which is mostly going to be more spending, i'm going to pay for your kids to go to college. i'm going to-- let's put more stimulus money into construction jobs, that's about all they've got and do not expect to see any big policy initiatives put forward here. they don't have any. dorothy? >> well, what can he say? i'm going to be former soviet union and more leisure-- and. >> got the reset, you mean. >> another reset. but i think we're going to hear a little about abortion and about the assault on women, and the fact that we are going to save a woman's right to choice. >> and so, that women's issue-- >> and just have-- i think we may see wind mills on on stage for the green jobs before it's over. maybe one of them will speak. i don't know, as they try to make the case in iowa and

michigan that the auto bailout happened. and we have to take one more break, when we come back, our hits and misses of the week. these fellas used capital one venture miles for a golf getaway. double miles you can actually use... but mr. single miles can't join his friends because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with e capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift.

>> time now for hits and misses of the week, kim, first to you. >> this is a miss to ron paul for being a bit of a sore loser. it was mr. paul's decision to run as a republican this year that finally gave him the perk to have a more visible and successful campaign and the republicans in tampa paid him more rote than any other mr. romney's opponents. a video tribute, his son spoke and some of his ideas were in the g.o.p. platform and yet, mr. paul refused to endorse the man who won his party's nomination. mitt romney may not be his ideal, but closer than president obama. >> illinois, downgraded the rating and deficits and

pension liabilities, ironically surrounding states like ohio and wisconsin are effectively addressing the issues and governors were speaking in tampa and i hope that pack win was watching. i don't know that he's going to make a guest appearance in charlotte. >> dan. >> a lot of patriotism at the republican convention and a piece of that is returning to yale university this fall. for the first time in 40 years, rotc is on campus at yale and from the naval submarine base. and columbia and harvard also rotc back on campus, however the divided the country is, it's a good thing. >> paul: rotc was last on yale campus before i went to college, which is pretty extraordinary when you think of this ancient mariner. remember, if you have your own hit or miss, please send it to us at ger@foxnews.com